The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Another piece of Denare Beach's rich history has come alive. The Northern Gateway Museum has unveiled a replica sign commemorating Fort Henry Frobisher, a historic fur trading post along Amisk Lake. "We feel that this is an important part of our history," said Norma Barr, past-chair of the museum board, during Sunday's unveiling. The sturdy wooden sign is a carbon copy of one that for decades hung at the village's Main Beach. Deteriorated, the sign is believed to have been removed in the 1990s. There are only subtle differences between the replica and the original, which was erected by the Department of Natural Resources. The new model is slightly larger and its lettering is routed in rather than burnt. "Nobody would ever know the difference," commented Norm Flagel, another museum board member. The sign's inscription reads: See 'Inland' P.# Con't from P.# "By 1774 many of the 'pedlars', independent fur-traders from Montreal, believed that singly they could not compete with the Hudson's Bay Company. "That year the Company built its first inland fort, Cumberland House. The next autumn three pedlars, Joseph and Thomas Frobisher, and Alexander Henry, the elder, decided to combine interests. In November, 1775 they built their first fort here. "The next spring they advanced to the Churchill and built Portage du Traite, but for at least two more seasons their men, Tute and St. Germain, operated this post for them. "Out of the unions of this type grew the North West Company which rivalled the HBC until they joined in 1821. This site was discovered in 1953 by Harry Moody of Denare Beach, and Hugh Reid and Barton Fairbairn of Flin Flon." The sign also includes a printed map of the area, showing Fort Henry Frobisher located one mile south of where the Sturgeon River enters Amisk Lake. "A lot of people are glad it's back up there again," commented Flagel. "There are a lot of young people that don't remember the (original) sign, either, but a lot of older people still remember it." Open House The unveiling took place during the museum's Discovery Day open house, attended by at least 150 people. Jim Robertson, museum chair, said it's important to invite the community out. "I think this event brings awareness of what the museum is doing and what it's about," he said. "I think there's a lot richer history than people are aware." Another highlight of the afternoon came when Marie Gunville, the village's Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation Councillor, accepted a CD-ROM of historic photos on behalf of the band. Most of the 300-plus photos depict area aboriginal families in the 1950s and '60s. The Northern Gateway Museum is divided into two halves. The newer portion houses hundreds of priceless artifacts, from First Nations beadwork to a Cigar Store Indian carved from a single tree. Other sights include birch bark bitings from the late Angelique Merasty, a well-known Denare Beach resident for over six decades. The older portion is made up like a 1940s and '50s era home. Inside you'll find tokens of the past such as wooden skis, a hand-operated washing machine, a stove-heated iron, and a bulky typewriter. The small passageway that joins the two portions takes on an old-time appearance as well. Everything inside the corridor, including the fireplace and intricate wood carvings, belonged to the late Fred Shwaga, the one-time mayor of Denare Beach.
